Chapter 4 of A Christmas Accident and Other Stories is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of A Christmas Accident and Other Stories is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly. "I'm mortifyingly dependent on my clothes. There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything." "I like you better than your aunt," he confessed. "Of course you do.
Chapter 4 of A Christmas Accident and Other Stories is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading “There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything."”
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything."”
clothing in general
From this reading “"I'm mortifyingly dependent on my clothes.”
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading “"I like you better than your aunt," he confessed.”
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading “"It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly.”
relying on or requiring a person or thing for support, supply, or what is needed
From this reading “"I'm mortifyingly dependent on my clothes.”
having unexpected good fortune
From this reading “"It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly.”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “"It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything."
any thing at all
From this reading There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything."
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "I like you better than your aunt," he confessed.
clothing in general
From this reading "I'm mortifyingly dependent on my clothes.
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading "I like you better than your aunt," he confessed.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course you do.
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading "It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly.
relying on or requiring a person or thing for support, supply, or what is needed
From this reading "I'm mortifyingly dependent on my clothes.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly.
having unexpected good fortune
From this reading "It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I like you better than your aunt," he confessed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm mortifyingly dependent on my clothes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I like you better than your aunt," he confessed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm mortifyingly dependent on my clothes.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I'm mortifyingly dependent on my clothes.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Of course you do.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I'm mortifyingly dependent on my clothes.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "I like you better than your aunt," he confessed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It's fortunate that I do," she replied decidedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There's my Aunt Katharine now,--she has an air in anything."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I like you better than your aunt," he confessed.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I like you better than your aunt," he confessed.
Chapter 4 of A Christmas Accident and Other Stories by Annie Eliot Trumbull holds 456 sentences, grouped into 92 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 4 holds 456 sentences of A Christmas Accident and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of A Christmas Accident and Other Stories by Annie Eliot Trumbull exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 456 sentences, grouped into 92 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading A Christmas Accident and Other Stories by Annie Eliot Trumbull on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1938 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28307 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28307, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 161 minutes of reading across 388 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Christmas Accident and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of A Christmas Accident and Other Stories to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Christmas Accident and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
